Sorting Hat Argument Analysis

The Sorting Hat is a legendary artifact that every new member experiences when joining Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat has been passed down from founders who created each house. Along with the hat is the personalities each founder possessed in order to help the hat determine which people possess the qualities each house contains. The Sorting Hat has the magical ability to place a student in one of the four houses it feels would result in bringing out the best qualities in a person, whether it’s a persons need or desire for cognition, agreeableness, bravery or self-righteousness. The Sorting Hat bases its decision on a person’s personality and qualities it sees or feels would best fit in at a certain house whether its Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw,
Many other theorist also believe an individual’s personality is solely influenced by ones parents and environment surrounding them, challenging their own self- concept (Beers, 2014, p.1). Many students at Hogwarts are taught to think and believe certain houses are better than others, and that is where they belong whether it coincides with their personalities or not, even before attending the school. For example, the Weasley children are taught to understand that Gryffindor, where both their parents Molly and Arthur Weasley were placed, is the house they belong in, as is Draco Malfoy with Slytherin. He has been taught to think that he belongs in Slytherin where both his parents were selected into. Rather than making their own opinions on each house, they have already been made and distorted by people outside of themselves. Developing a battle between determinism and free choice, a question of personality on whether to follow the path given to you or to make your own path ultimately determining where an individual will end up. Although an individual’s personality and view on life is learned from their peers or parents during childhood, it can be altered by change in one’s outlook or even environment (Beers, 2014,